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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1319.PDF
DECEMBER 13, 1934. FLIGHT. 1323 OUR AIR DEFENCE Problems of Raising the New Squadrons : The Progress Made "T "P^DER war conditions, as everyone knows, an air I I force can be created speedily." So said Mr. ^"^ Baldwin in the recent House of Commons debate on defence. In peace time it is not such a simple thing to raise even a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It takes three years to turn a raw hand into an accom- plished mechanic in charge of aircraft. It takes a year to train a pilot to fly and to perform the ordinary duties of an officer, and then he still has a lot to learn before he is a really useful member of a squadron. To quote once more the Lord President of the Council: — " There is all the difference in the world between thefinest qualified flying pilot in civilian service, driving an air mail, or anything like that, and the man who has to go intoaction against an enemy. The two jobs are not com- parable. You can be the finest pilot that ever was, butbefore you can go out in war, if you are not going to be shot down at once, you have to go through an intensivecourse of learning to defend yourself." Add to the problems of raising and training the men the further problems of providing them with aircraft and engines and all the other equipment which a unit needs, and then you still have to find aerodromes and buildings to house the officers and men. Yet within the next two years the Air Ministry has to raise, equip, and house no fewer than twenty-five squadrons. Re-equipment of Squadrons Flight commented briefly last week on some of the special difficulties concerning the supply of aircraft at this juncture, in that many of the existing squadrons are in need of re-equipment with up-to-date types. We have at present in A.D.G.B. seventeen squadrons of fighters, including three of the A.A.F., of which three are equipped with the interceptor "Fury," six have or are getting the two-seater "Demon," one is getting the new '' Gauntlet,'' and seven have the now obsolescent '' Bull- dog." None of these types can be expected to hold the field very much longer, for even the best of them (with the exception of the "Gauntlet") have been in production for several years. The " Gauntlet," al- though it has a top speed of over 230 m.p.h., is only regarded as an interim replacement type. At present eight new types of fighter aeroplane are entered for the replacement competition, and will shortly be going to Martlesham for their tests. These types are the Supermarine monoplane with "Goshawk" engine, the Westland with a " Goshawk " behind the pilot, the " Bull- dog IV " with " Perseus," a Hawker P.V. (" Goshawk "), a Bristol P.V. ("Goshawk"), a Blackburn ("Goshawk"), a Bristol ("Mercury "), and a Gloster ("Mercury"). It may be taken that the best of these eight will far surpass the performance of the best now in service, and the result may be that in future there may be no distinction between interceptors and day-and-night fighters. Therefore, before long, all the existing fourteen regular squadrons of fighters and three fighter squadrons of the Auxiliary Air Force will need re-equipment, while seven or eight more fighter squadrons are being raised at the same time and will also need modern machines. To provide 288 first-line fighters with the necessary reserves is in itself no small task. Then, if we turn to the day bombers, what is said above about the "Demon" applies also to the "Hart." It is very good, but it has been in service for some years. The "Gordon" is an adaptation of the Fairey III F, so can hardly expect to survive for many more years. The " Sidestrand " has already been outclassed by the " Over- strand '' from the same aircraft firm of Boulton Paul. The "Wapiti" of some Auxiliary Air Force squadrons has likewise been honoured by the time which it has been in service, and the "Wallace" is a development of it. We therefore find in A.D.G.B. ten regular, two Cadre, and five A.A.F. squadrons of day bombers which will all need new types either at once or in the not distant future. That means 202 new machines in the first line. Of the twenty-two new squadrons which are to be raised, prob- ably fifteen will be bombers, but the proportion of day bombers to night bombers cannot yet be estimated. It might be ten squadrons with twelve machines each, and five squadrons with ten twin-engined machines. They will need some 170 aeroplanes of modern type. There are now only five squadrons of heavy twin- engined night bombers in the regulars and three similar Cadre squadrons. Probably plans are already in hand to provide all of these with either the " Heyford " or the '' Hendon'' before long, so that they add little to the problems lying ahead. Apart from them, we have made out a fairly urgent need for some 660 new first-line machines, not counting reserves or training machines. In peace time it would be wasteful to use war-time methods of production. That does not imply that we ought not to make preparations for expansion in time of war. As a matter of fact, a few years ago Air Commodore Charlton was given the task of drawing up a scheme in conjunction with the aircraft and engine firms, which provides for expansion of production in case of war. Naturally, the details of the scheme have not been pub- lished, but we do know that it is not being allowed to moulder in a pigeon-hole. It is being kept up to date. The above calculations refer only to Air Defence ol Great Britain. The Fleet Air Arm will add its quota to the problem, for, although only three new squadrons of the F.A.A. are to be raised in the next two years under what may be called the Baldwin plan, yet the units of the F.A.A. are now in a state of re-equipment. Training-school Expansion To raise the men for the new squadrons will also mean a special effort. More cadets will be accepted at Cran- well. The Flying Training School at Digby has been re- opened, and another F.T.S. is to be opened somewhere else—the place has not yet been decided upon. That will give us four F.T. schools in the country for training short- service officers. The capacity of a F.T.S. is about fifty pupils a year. It would be a very good thing to in- crease the number of permanent commissions offered to university candidates, and possibly to increase, tempo- rarily at least, if not permanently, the establishment of the Air Squadrons at Oxford and Cambridge. This will most probably be done. At present the establishment of a University Air Squadron is only seventy-five members. The number of aircraft apprentices at Halton is to he doubled, and, presumably, more aircrafthands will bo taken in by direct enlistment, all of which reduces un- employment. The new aerodromes which have been acquired are Manby in Lincolnshire, Marham and Feltwell in Norfolk, Odiham in Hampshire, and Thorney Isle, near Chichester, in Sussex. In all, eleven sites have been finally selected, and about eighty more sites in various counties have been inspected in detail. An architect has been deputed by the Office of Works to take charge of the plans for aerodrome buildings, and the plans will be submitted to the Fine Arts Commission, to ensure that considera- tions of economy and utility do not result in plaster- ing the country with buildings abhorrent to good taste. A committee of women has been formed to advise on the domestic side of the barracks and mess buildings, as it is held that women are more expert on that side. t .......
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